Short and Sweet

My painting of Billy Keane, owner of John B Keane’s pub and a total superstar! This was the first painting I did in Listowe1l

Tonight, my beloved brother Bill and my Beloved friends from across the pond (even though now it is me who is across the pond) arrived in Lovely Listowel and I got to show the town off!

It was an awesome first impression to walk them down for a bite to eat at John R’s and have people stop to say hello that we have met while here!  Our bite was amazing and I took them over to Gurtenard House where Bill will be staying and they all got the grand tour and thought Kathy was wonderful and a visionary!  We started back towards the square and I was hoping to have them meet Vicar Joe and, lo and behold, he was just coming out and took a moment to let everyone in to see the spectacular St John’s Theatre.  We went to see the house that my friends from England are staying in and it, too, was awesome!  A perfect getaway!

We decided to eat at Mai Fitz for dinner and, acting almost like a bookend for the trip, Emma (who waited on Kerry and me the first day we arrived) was on hand to make our dinner absolutely delightful!  The food was really spectacular and, although everyone was full, we still ordered desserts to share and they were incredible!

Last but not least was a run to John B’s for Pub Theatre!  You know how you can totally build something up to the point it can’t possibly live up to it?  Yeah…I built up Pub Theatre at John B’s to a fare thee well and it not only lived up but exceeded all expectations!  What a night!

So now, here I sit.  Back at the apartment Kerry and I have shared for the past month realizing that our lives have totally changed and we can’t believe how lucky we are!

Tomorrow we go to Dingle.  This is a place that has been recommended since the plane landed.  Cannot wait!

Discovery Mode-First stop Adare

Thatched roof cottage in Adare, County Limerick, Ireland

It was time to take off the training wheels and once again brave the roads. It was a real nail biter, should we risk our side mirrors and tires again or should we stay safely planted on our feet in Listowel?  We had driven through Adare when we first arrived and it was so enticing we knew we would want to return and explore, so driving squeaked out by a very narrow margin after I promised Emy I wouldn’t sit in her lap while she drove.  Olive and friends had assured us the GPS had greatly mislead us and taken us on the very tricky back roads.  They had directions that would get us to Adare quickly, safely, and sweat free.  We had our doubts, but it was true.  The roads they recommended were spacious and easy to maneuver.  A new friend we met today highly suggested we ignore GPS and do it the old fashioned way; stop and ask someone!

Often dubbed Ireland’s “prettiest village”, Adare is a very popular village in County Limerick.  It is one of the last villages that still boasts authentic thatched roof homes which is perfect for artists looking for interesting Irish architecture.  It is a hot spot and parking is at a premium, but there is free parking behind the Heritage building.

The main street is lined with beautiful stone buildings, a lush and inviting village park, and, at the end, a medieval friary.  Eager to see it all, we set out down main street to explore.  On our way we became entangled in a super glam wedding procession, complete with the bride and groom being chauffeured down main street in an antique rolls royce (we are assuming that’s what it was…it was pretty fancy and that’s our story and we’re sticking to it)  (As another aside, since we arrived Thursday, this is the fifth wedding we have seen…we are considering careers as wedding crashers) I think they might have been frightened we were stalking them because we showed up at the friary when they were having pics done. We stopped and congratulated them and then off they went.

Next on our agenda was to fill our tummy tum tums and Olive had recommended The Good Room and boy was she right.  We had delectable salads and could not resist lounging on the outside patio a bit longer so we could indulge in their mouth watering desserts and coffee to top it all off.  To avoid guilt by chocolate, we set off walking to the village park.  A magical place with a slow running brook, bushes bursting with flowers and grass that looked like chartreuse carpet. There, we became fast friends with a couple from Dublin, Paul and Louise, who asked us to take their pic and, an hour later, we were hugging good-bye and promising to keep in touch with. Thanks to the very endearing Paul and Louise for all the excellent advice and recommendations, noted and on our schedule!

Our new friends Paul and Louise!

Next on our agenda, Ballybunion Beach!  Check back with us tomorrow to hear of our coastal adventure.